Compositions and processes for optimizing oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11139485-B2
Application number	US-201916429648-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2019
Priority date	Jun 3, 2019
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

Compositions and process for optimizing oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions are provided. Oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution catalysts include oxide compositions having a general formula a formula A 2-x MO y , where x is electrochemically tuned to find optimal A content that delivers the best catalytic performance in a chemical system. The process provides the ability to find the optimal catalytic performance by tuning A and hence, the binding strength of O.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and/or oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst comprising a formula A 2-x MO y ;
wherein A is Li,
y is 2 to 3,
wherein M is Pt, and
wherein the ORR and/or OER catalyst has an oxygen vacancy formation energy or oxygen binding energy of about −1 to about 1 eV/atom obtained by electrochemically tuning x in a range of 0 to 2.

2. The ORR and/or OER catalyst of claim 1 wherein the ORR and/or OER catalyst is a layered crystal structure capable of insertion and desorption of lithium ions.

3. The ORR and/or OER catalyst of claim 1 wherein the ORR and/or OER catalyst is provided in a nanoparticle structure.

4. The ORR and/or OER catalyst of claim 1 wherein the ORR and/or OER catalyst is provided in a nanosheet structure.

5. A process for optimizing oxygen reduction or oxygen evolution catalytic activity, the process comprising:
providing an oxygen reduction (ORR) and/or oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst of a formula A 2-x MO y ;
wherein A is Li,
wherein x is 0 to 2,
wherein y is 2 to 3,
wherein M is Pt; and
electrochemically tuning an initial value of x to improve catalytic activity of oxygen reduction or oxygen evolution reactions.

6. The process of claim 5 wherein the electrochemically tuning of an initial value of x includes applying a bias to the ORR and/or OER catalyst.

7. The process of claim 5 wherein the process includes electrochemically tuning an amount of A by applying a current to the ORR and/or OER catalyst to provide an oxygen binding strength for absorption or desorption of oxygen.

8. The process of claim 5 wherein the ORR and/or OER catalyst is a layered crystal structure capable of insertion and desorption of lithium ions.

Assignees

• Toyota Res Inst Inc

Inventors

• Aykol Muratahan
• Montoya Joseph Harold
• Hummelshøj Jens Strabo

Classifications

• H01M4/923

  Compounds thereof with non-metallic elements · CPC title

• H01M12/08

  composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type · CPC title

• H01M4/8663

  Selection of inactive substances as ingredients for catalytic active masses, e.g. binders, fillers · CPC title

• H01M2004/8689

  Positive electrodes · CPC title

• Y02E60/50

  Fuel cells · CPC title